These remarks were given on July 15, during panel #5, "Next Steps: What Should the Government and the Private Sector Do to Help make Children's Diets Healthier and Encourage Responsible Marketing?"

It's a pleasure to be here today representing the American Academy of Pediatrics, an organization of 60,000 pediatricians dedicated to the health and well being of children. Prevention is the hallmark of pediatric care. The present trends indicate that families - traditional, divorced, and stepfamilies, schools, communities, policy makers, physicians, the food industry, and the media all drive behavior and influence the most significant ongoing chronic health threat to children. Therefore, all play a critical role in reversing the trend of obesity. Much like it has been stated that "smoking is a pediatric disease," the same could be said that obesity is a pediatric disease. Pediatricians are committed to helping kids lead healthy, active lives.

The Academy's Board of Directors assigned the highest priority to address the childhood obesity crisis by creating a National Task Force in 2003. The focus of the Task Force is on prevention, treatment, reimbursement, and advocacy.

As a practicing pediatrician daily I see parents and caregivers who are searching for help with their overweight families. As I speak to you today for 2 minutes with a significant sense of urgency, I can assure you that these two minutes are statistically more time than many of my colleagues have with families to discuss nutritional and activity awareness, media time and literacy issues, during an annual or every other year health maintenance appointment. Contrast that time with the amount of time children spend seeing 40,000 commercials per year, and the 20+% of 2-7 year olds (and 46% of 8-12 yr. olds) that have TV's in their bedrooms. It hardly seems like a level playing field for parents or pediatricians.

The Academy has always been one of the strongest advocates for children on Capitol Hill. We have a long-standing media education policy regarding recommended amounts of media time. But we recognize that educating families about moderation, healthful choices, balance rather than restrictions, portion size, and physical activity many times are lost in the tsunami of their children's media exposure to less healthful foods. Marketing has empowered kids to demand. Parents constantly need to negotiate.

There are many risk factors that contribute to childhood obesity. And there are many lines of defense, beginning with parental responsibility. But that is not the ONLY line of defense. All children need a good support system to heighten their success in achieving long-term change. While many obstacles seem insurmountable, the Academy recommends early recognition and guidance in office-based encounters, increased physical activity, decreasing sedentary activities including screen time, and providing tools and continuing education for its members on this critical issue.

The following are highlights of the Academy's positions on advertising and marketing issues specifically as they related to childhood obesity:

1. The American Academy of Pediatrics considers advertising directly to young children to be inherently deceptive, and exploits children under the age of 8 years.

2. AAP supports and advocates for social marketing intended to promote healthful food choices and increased physical activity. Industry should develop and advertise healthful food and eating choices.

3. Healthful foods that are nutrient rich and palatable yet low in excess energy from added sugars and fat need to be readily available to parents, school and child care food services, and others responsible for feeding children and dependent on socioeconomic status or community. Examples of healthful foods are whole vegetables and fruits, low-fat dairy products, and whole grains as recommended by the new US Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

4. Advertising and promotion of energy-dense, nutrient-poor food products to children may need to be regulated or curtailed. For example, the increase in carbonated beverage intake has been linked to obesity.

5. The government should fund research to assess the effects of television and other media on behaviors of children.

6. The AAP, as a member of the Children's Media Policy Coalition, wants children's advertising protections to be updated for digital television. This includes a prohibition on interactive advertising to children in digital television.

6. The sale of sweetened drinks should not be promoted at school. Access to and the sale of food and beverages of minimal nutritional value should be limited in vending machines in schools.

7. The use of "exclusive pouring contracts" as a means of generating revenue for schools needs to be addressed such that revenue is not generated at the expense of our children's health.

8. The AAP recognizes corporate sponsorship of school events, activities, and programs as advertising and promoting product branding.

9. Schools should develop curricula that teach children and adolescents media literacy-something we call for in our Media Education statement. The Academy launched its own Media Matters campaign to help teach media literacy, and we look forward to talking more to the Ad Council about their new media education campaign.

We are also happy to discuss having the industry consider using Academy obesity public education materials for children and parents.

In closing, I appreciate the opportunity to participate in this meeting. The AAP supports the Institute of Medicine recommendations on marketing, media, and advertising as clearly stated in the "Prevention of Childhood Obesity" report. As experts in the primary and specialty care of children, we would welcome the opportunity to participate in an ongoing dialogue with the Federal Trade Commission and the food industry about possible implementation of those recommendations.

I will conclude with a quote from Mr. Rogers, an honorary fellow of the Academy and a true pioneer in children's television:
``We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility'' he said. ``It's easy to say 'It's not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem.' Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes.''